Hand knitting needle



June 1941- H. s. ARMITAGE 2,245,893

HAND KNITTING NEEDLE Filed March 4} i940 Fzy. 2

INVENTOR.

A TZDRNEY Patented June 17, 1941 UNETED STATES PATENT QFMQE HAND KNITTING NEEDLE Harold S. Armitage, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 4, 1940, Serial No. 322,089

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a hand knitting needle adapted to form, in a more convenient manner, loops of various sizes in the fabric being knitted.

More specifically speaking, the invention pertains to a hand knitting needle the shaft of which has pointed extremities, the portion of said shaft adjacent to one of said extremities being of a greater diameter than the portion thereof which is adjacent to its opposite extremity.

One advantage resulting from the provision of a continuous needle shaft of two diiferent diam eters is that the same needle may be used to knit into different portions of the same garment loops or meshes of diiferent gages or sizes. Hence the same needle may be used to do the work formerly done by two needles of different gage numbers.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the needle.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking at that extremity of the needle adjacent to its small diameter.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the needle consists, for the greater part of its length, of a straight, cylindrical shaft having a diametrically enlarged portion ll adjacent to one extremity and a portion I2 of a considerably smaller diameter which extends from adjacent to its opposite tapered extremity I 4 to a taper I5, thereby uniting the diametrically different shaft portions in such a manner as to avoid the production of a shoulder between them and to permit loops of thread to slide smoothly from one to the other of said shaft portions, in either direction.

The diametrically enlarged shaft portion H is tapered at [3 to a pointed extremity, but the nontapered part of said shaft .portion is of uniform cross-sectional dimensions throughout its length to enable the user to feed the loops of the knitting thereon and slide them therealong.

In operating the needle the loops will be formed in a manner usual in the use of hand operated knitting needles, and the change from the formation of large to small loops, and Vice versa will quickly and conveniently be effected simply by reversing the position of the needle in the hand.

The operator will require a pair of needles to knit with, each needle being shaped according to the principles of the invention, and in using these needles each end portion of each needle, adjacent ent gage size, it is only necessary to remove the need-1e so as to use the opposite end portion of the needle. Instruments for knitting have been devised wherein two separate needles are each united in an endwise manner with a bent flexible connecting member. Such a needle does not have a single straight shaft, and is used singly by bending the flexible connecting member and bringing the two ends together to knit. In using instruments of this kind it is not possible to remove the knitted material from the needle or needle-like structure in the quick and easy manner possible with this new structure, wherein the knitting may be done with either end portion of either of the needles being used, and the work may be slid off from the opposite end of either needle. My needle cannot be used singly but only with another similar needle.

I claim:

1. A knitting needle consisting of a single, substantially straight shaft having conical pointed extremities, one end portion of said shaft being of a greater diameter than the opposite end portion thereof, said diametrically enlarged shaft portion being of a substantially uniform crosssection for a considerable portion of the length of the needle to support upon itself loops of the material being knitted. i

2. A knitting needle consisting of a single, substantially straight shaft having conical pointed extremities, one end portion of said shaft being of a greater diameter than the opposite end portion thereof, said diametrically enlarged shaft portion being of a sufficiently uniform cross sec tion for a considerable portion of the length of the needle to support .upon itself loops of the material being knitted.

3. A needle consisting of a single rigid shaft having tapered, pointed extremities, said shaft being of a larger diameter at the inner end of one of its tapered extremities than at the inner end of the taper of its opposite extremity, the portion of said shaft between the inner ends of said tapered .portions being of sufficiently uniform cross-sectional dimensions for a considerable portion of the length of the needle to support upon itself loops of the material being knitted.

HAROLD S. ARMITAGE. 

